The choice of hymns and prayers during a Remembrance parade and service will be reviewed each year, event organisers say.

Representatives of the Royal British Legion Club in Oadby, nearby St Peter’s Church and the Diocese of Leicester have issued a joint statement addressing the decision not to include Onward Christian Soldiers during this weekend’s Remembrance Sunday service.

“We look forward to the Remembrance Parade and Service in Oadby with confidence that it will be a time to honour the fallen and remember the horror of war,” it reads.

“The Church and Royal British Legion in Oadby will continue to work together in the coming years to ensure that this remains a deeply relevant, fresh and dignified occasion.

“The choice of hymns and prayers will be made each year to meet the needs of the time.

“The service in church will remain a thoroughly Christian act of worship – we will all be singing from the same hymn sheet.”

St. Peter's Church in Oadby (Image: Mike Sewell)

The statement is co-signed by Peter Green and Ian Thorp, respectively the chairman and vice-chairman of Oadby Royal British Legion Club, the Rev Stephen Bailey, team rector designate at Oadby Team Ministry, and the Venerable Dr Tim Stratford, Archdeacon of Leicester.

It comes after Legion club members told the Mercury that the hymn was sung most years but had been removed from this weekend’s service because people at the service would not necessarily be Christian.

The Diocese of Leicester subsequently stated that the decision not to sing the hymn was agreed by the church and Oadby Royal British Legion branch, which is separate from the Legion club, and was not the decision of an individual.

A letter from Brigadier William Hurrell, Deputy Lieutenant for Leicestershire, was also circulated to veterans’ associations in Leicestershire and Rutland stating that the hymn was not removed by the vicar.

“In fact, the local planning group had discussed how the service could be more inclusive for everyone, including the local inter-faith community, and the decision on the hymns and service content was agreed collectively,” it added.